Louise the Big Cheese: Divine Diva (Paula Wiseman Books) [Hardcover]

Elise Primavera (Author), Diane Goode (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 8, 2009 | Series: Paula Wiseman Books

Let's face it. Every girl has a little big cheese in her.

Louise Cheese is no different. Night and day, Louise dreams of the limelight, lots of fuss, the red carpet, and more than anything to be the one and only "Big Cheese."

Finally, Louise gets her chance when her teacher, Mrs. Little, announces a casting call for the role of Cinderella in the school play. It's Louise's chance to be a star...or is it?

With humor and heart and just a little attitude, Elise Primavera and Diane Goode tell a story that will inspire the inner big cheese in all who read it.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2—Louise Cheese dreams of being a big star. She wishes her parents were less ordinary and envies her older sister because Penelope has a big room and lots of shades of lipstick. When her teacher announces that the class is going to put on Cinderella, Louise is convinced that she will get the lead and this will be her ticket to Broadway. Then her friend Fern gets the role, and Louise is cast as one of the mice, thus severing their friendship. When Fern forgets her last line, Louise cues her and all ends happily. The watercolor and ink illustrations are very pink as Louise fantasizes in pink. Dialogue is in word bubbles, and there's a fair amount of text. The cover is pink, with letters that sparkle. This Fancy Nancy look-alike is a nice-enough story but it's been done many times before.—Ieva Bates, Ann Arbor District Library, MI END

Review

"A perfect pairing to Kevin Henkes's Lilly's Big Day (2006), this book presents a protagonist with whom many a mini-diva will be able to identify from page one. Goode's liquid lines and sympathetic characters give the text the pop it deserves. Charming from endpapers to endpapers." -- Kirkus Reviews

"Louise makes a splash as a girl who knows what she wants (stardom!) and sees the future

(Broadway!) but can also deal with reality . . . Cue applause." -- Booklist

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books (September 8, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416971807
• ISBN-13: 978-1416971801
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (43 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #930,379 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Charming Book with a Sweet Message, September 22, 2009

By 

Jenna Glatzer "www.jennaglatzer.com" (NY, United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Louise the Big Cheese: Divine Diva (Paula Wiseman Books) (Hardcover)

(What's this?)

Louise Cheese wants to be a "Divine Diva," which happens to be the name of one of her big sister's shades of lipstick. She tries out for the school play, and is sure she's going to get the role of Cinderella and be visited by Broadway talent scouts in the audience. Her best friend also tries out, and Louise figures she'll get a little role, like maybe a mouse.

Instead, Louise is cast as a mouse and her friend gets the lead role. Hmph! Friendship over... at least for a little while.

Her parents tell her they're glad she isn't headed off to Broadway yet because they'd miss her too much. Of course, I expected the ending to be that the friendship is mended and Louise is happy with her little role, but the author managed to pull in an unexpected, cute way to accomplish that-- Cinderella forgets her last line, and Louise comes to the rescue by whispering it to her.

This book has personality and spark. It's similar to the Fancy Nancy series both in look and tone, and will capture the same kind of audience of little divas. I recommend it for the little girl in your life who "dreams big."

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A STAR JUST WAITING TO BE BORN, September 15, 2009

By 

Gail Cooke (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Louise the Big Cheese: Divine Diva (Paula Wiseman Books) (Hardcover)

Every child probably has dreams, ambitions. A little boy may dream of becoming a football player or a fireman. A little girl may aspire to be a nurse or a model. Louise Cheese was not specific regarding her ambition - she simply wanted to be a big cheese. "Louise liked the limelight, she liked a lot of fuss...."

This was a bit unusual as her parents were quiet, unassuming people. Penelope, her older sister, seemed to be quite content with her status quo ( Louise, of course, coveted Penelope's frilly bedroom and collection of lipsticks). The name of one of the lipsticks was Divine Diva, and Penelope told her that a Divine Diva was a big star. That's exactly what Louise wanted to be; she could see herself walking down a red carpet to accept her award. She told her best friend, Fern, about her plan, saying "Dream Big! That's my motto!)

The perfect start for Louise would be to play the lead in the school play, Cinderella, and be discovered by a Broadway producer. She was so sure she was going to be chosen to play Cinderella that she told her parents she would probably be going to Broadway soon. However, first the tryouts.

The outcome of those tryouts was a bit of a shock to Louise - even more so was the person chosen. When dreams are dashed friendships can be sorely tested but just as in Cinderella there is a happy ending.

Charming illustrations by one of my favorite artists, Diane Goode, are wonderfully expressive. Don't miss the endpapers filled with Big and Little Cheeses throughout history.

Enjoy!

- Gail Cooke

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bravo for Louise the Big Cheese!!, November 6, 2009

By 

Nanette Stevenson (Anchorage, AK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Louise the Big Cheese: Divine Diva (Paula Wiseman Books) (Hardcover)

Tiny Louise dreams BIG, she wants to be a BIG cheese. With energy and confidence Louise sets forth to make her dreams come true. Dream BIG she says. She is sure she is on her way to fame, fortune and ultimately Broadway when she tries out for the role of Cinderella in the school play. But her spirits plummet when she finds she is cast as a mouse, in a particularly itchy, gray costume, and will not be the star of the show. Instead, her friend, Fern, is going to plays the glittery Cinderella. Louise is not a happy mouse! But when the performance comes and Fern finds herself unable to speak, it is tiny Louise who comes to the rescue. Louise finds that helping her friend makes her a much bigger cheese than going down the road to stardom alone.

Overcoming disappointment is a lesson all children face at some point. Having Louise as their spunky guide through life's ups and downs makes growing up that much more fun.

Elise Primavera has an intuitive sense for what children feel and how they think. Her characters are honest and human and fun to be with. Diane Goode's fresh, colorful, and lively illustrations capture Louise's spirit to a T.

Bravo Elise! Bravo Diane! Bravo Louise the Big Cheese!!

Can't wait to see where Louise's next adventure leads us...